Acqua di Giò
From $3
Cool Water
Eau de Toilette · 1988
$5
Room for several wears.
Hand-filled from an original bottle into a Cabinet Noir vial, under our own label. Cabinet Noir is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Davidoff.
The composition
Cool Water opens with a bracing rush of peppermint and lavender, green, cool and bright, with a salty sea-air freshness running through it. Geranium, oakmoss and sandalwood give the heart some shape, and the drydown turns soft and warm with amber and clean musk.
It is the fresh blue cologne that set the tone for the '90s, clean and easygoing. A natural pick for hot days, the gym bag, and anyone who wore it the first time around.
How it wears
Cool Water is built for heat. Fragrantica voters place it firmly in summer and spring and by day, and Fragrantica's review files it under the gym and casual weekends. The mint and lavender hit hardest at the start, with a cool, salty edge; later it softens into amber and clean musk. Parfumo voters rate its longevity and sillage as moderate, so it reads fresh and close by the afternoon.
Compared with
- Green Irish TweedCreed
- Its often-cited 1985 predecessor, built on some of the same fresh materials. Fragrantica describes Green Irish Tweed as softer, with iris, violet and woody tones; Cool Water pushes further toward sea air and ozone.
- Cool Water IntenseDavidoff
- The Eau de Parfum flanker by Annick Ménardo, which Fragrantica describes as rebuilt from scratch. Intense is sweeter, with green mandarin and a large amber accord; the original is drier, sharper and more lavender-led.
- Acqua di GiòGiorgio Armani
- The other big aquatic of the era, eight years younger. Acqua di Giò is citrus-led and gently floral, with bergamot, neroli and jasmine; Cool Water is cooler and more herbal, with mint, lavender and oakmoss.
Lot 031
The bottle behind your decant. About our decants
Shipping and returns
US ground shipping, $9 or free from $75. Ships within 2 business days. Decants are final sale; we replace or refund any that arrive damaged. Details
The notes
Opening
Top
- Peppermint
- Lavender
Development
Heart
- Oakmoss
- Geranium
- Sandalwood
Drydown
Base
- Amber
- Musk
Questions about Cool Water
Is Cool Water discontinued?
No. Davidoff Cool Water Eau de Toilette is still made, under license by Coty, and Davidoff lists it on its own site. Flankers such as Cool Water Intense and Cool Water Parfum are separate fragrances, not replacements for the 1988 original.
Has Cool Water been reformulated?
Davidoff has not published formula changes, but longtime wearers on Basenotes and Fragrantica commonly report that current Cool Water feels lighter and fades sooner than older bottles. Most still find the mint, lavender and sea-air character instantly recognizable.
Who created Cool Water?
Fragrantica and Parfumo credit Pierre Bourdon, who composed Cool Water for Davidoff in 1988. Fragrantica notes that it used an unprecedented dose of dihydromyrcenol, a fresh, metallic material, and that it set the template for many fresh men's scents that followed.
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